WIREDGOV

Council services across Wales are set to be boosted with a funding increase next year.

The Welsh Government yesterday published its provisional local government settlement for 2022 to 2023.

Core revenue funding for local government will increase by 9.4% on a like-for-like basis, compared to the current year. No local authority will receive less than an 8.4% increase.

Social care, education, recycling and a number of other key services provided by local authorities will be backed with £5.1 billion in Welsh Government Revenue Support Grant and non-domestic rates.

The settlement provides funding to deliver commitments including the real Living Wage for care workers, the teachers’ pay deal, support on business rates, and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, yesterday said:

This is a good settlement for local government, one that provides councils with a stable platform to plan their budgets for the coming financial year and beyond.

We fully recognise the pressures local authorities are facing, and will continue to work closely with local government so we can meet the shared challenges we face and deliver services to benefit the people of Wales.

A 7-week consultation on the provisional settlement yesterday opened, which will end on 8 February 2022.